


Meet Me In The Cornmaze

by VeriLee



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, First Kisses, Fluff, Halloween Costumes, Mutual Pining, Office Romance, Plaidam, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, falling for flannel, halloween party, just cute fluff, plaidam fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 03:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20753582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeriLee/pseuds/VeriLee
Summary: Ben enters, wearing a blonde wig over his dark hair and a jumpsuit and bright orange vest instead of his usual black attire, but Rey would notice his broody brown eyed scowl and hulking frame anywhere.She ought to recognize him, as much time as she spends staring at him, nursing an impossible and unrequited crush.And then she freezes when he starts to shuffle right towards her.---Wherein mutually pining dorks Ben and Rey finally get together at the office Halloween party. Sweeter than candy corn - expect toothaches. :)





	Meet Me In The Cornmaze

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CaffeinatedJediRey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeinatedJediRey/gifts).

> Part of House Plaidam's Falling for Flannel mini fic event: Fall-themed Reylo fics inspired by moodboards! This Halloween party themed treat was inspired by the lovely board below, created by caffeinatedjedirey!
> 
> Unbeta'd and only minimally edited - sorry for any mistakes!

* * *

No one goes all out for a Halloween party like Amilyn Holdo. For much of the year, she's the most focused and diligent HR manager anyone could ask for - one that _ actually _cares about the employees and not just CYA lip service for the company. But when it's time for a party, her nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic softens to reveal her true enthusiasm. 

So it's no surprise when Rey walks in to discover that the old inventory room that occupies the entire basement and has been vacant since the company downsized a few years back has been transformed into a picturesque autumn wonderland. She may be downstairs in the Resistance Paper and Office Supply building, but she feels like she's walked into a Harvest Festival.

The drab cement walls have been painted like a brilliant sunset sky so vivid she thinks she's outside, and so many pumpkins of every size and color have been hauled in that Rey is sure it rivals any pumpkin patch in town. There is even a fake corn maze occupying one half of the large room (it _ must _ be fake, right? But it looks and smells so real). Pumpkin carving stations in the same room as about 10 kinds of beer (including pumpkin spice) seems a bit iffy, but fun. 

What _ is _a surprise is seeing Ben, the shy IT guy, walk through the doors in full costume. 

Rey is eating some of the marshmallow pumpkin cream dip and giggling as she watches Poe from customer service try to keep Jedi robes from falling off his dog, Bebe, when Ben enters. He's wearing a blonde wig over his dark hair and a jumpsuit and bright orange vest instead of his usual black attire, but Rey would notice his broody brown eyed scowl and hulking frame anywhere. She ought to recognize him, as much time as she spends staring at him, nursing an impossible and unrequited crush. 

She wonders if he was bribed or forced to come. Parties and people aren't usually his thing. She watches him (_ too much, she tells herself, stop being a creep, Rey! _ ) as he stiffly walks to the counter to get himself a bottle of Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale, silently hovers near the cleared patch of space where Finn and Rose are dancing playfully to _ Monster Mash. _

And then she freezes when he starts to shuffle right towards her. 

"Hi," he says shortly, and Rey responds in kind before they lapse into silence.

"Having fun?" he asks politely. 

"Yeah, it's nice." Rey glances around the room at her much more outgoing coworkers then back to Ben and goes for honesty. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"Well you mentioned you were bringing those homemade cranberry muffins you brought to the bake sale last year and…" Ben trails off, his cheeks slightly pink. 

Rey is flustered. No one could care about cranberry muffins that much._ Is he saying he came to the party because of her? No, she must be reaching. _

"I like your costume," Rey finally pipes up. "You're the radar technician spy from the new Star Wars - Kylo, right?" When Ben nods, she continues, "I didn't realize you liked those movies."

"I think _ everyone _ likes Star Wars," he points out. And it's true, about 40% of the staff are wearing _ some _ sort of Star Wars costume, still riding the hype of the new movie from the past year.

"Beside's I thought it might be funny; it's the space equivalent of the IT department, right?" Ben grins, actually _ grins, _ when he says this and Rey thinks she might pass out - she isn't sure she has ever seen him smile before. But he gets a dimple in one cheek and she decides she wants to see it many more times. 

Recovering, Rey gives her lightsaber a twirl and says, "Obviously I went with the trend, too."

"You're wearing what you had on at work today," Ben admonishes, "Adding a lightsaber doesn't make it a costume."

"I didn't get around to making the costume I planned on and it was getting too late and I refuse to shop at Party City on principle," Rey says defensively. 

But inside, her heart is racing. He'd paid attention to what she wore to work? The simple green dress isn't showy or flashy and he hadn't worked on her computer or interacted with her that day.

_ Could Ben Solo possibly be noticing Rey as much as she notices him? _

"What had you planned on coming as?" Ben asks, glancing at her lightsaber again. It's double sided, just like-

"Kira," Rey says. She meets Ben's eyes pointedly, some combination of the beer in her system and Ben's comments making her bold. Kira, the dark Jedi, is the love interest and co-protagonist of the bad-guy-turned-spy that Ben is dressed as. "I was halfway through sewing her hooded robe-dress. The one with slits up both sides? But I ran out of time to finish."

Rey doesn't miss the way that Ben swallows heavily as she describes the sultry costume. 

"Maybe you'll get another chance to wear it," he says in a low voice. 

"Maybe so," Rey answers, biting her lip. 

"Rey, I-" 

"Ben, can-"

They both begin to speak at once before pausing awkwardly. Ben flushes pink down to the tips of his adorably large ears and it's all the more noticeable against the blonde of his wig. It gives Rey the confidence to finally throw caution to the wind. 

All at once, she grabs that hideous orange vest and pulls Ben's face to her own. She presses her mouth to his ridiculously soft lips and he freezes only a moment before responding to the kiss with fevered intensity. Rey sighs when his tongue traces the seam of her lips and she willingly opens to him. 

She's not sure if the kiss lasts for a second or an hour before she becomes aware of the playful whistles and catcalls all around them. Blushing she opens her eyes and breaks the kiss but doesn't look away from Ben.

Behind her she can hear Poe making jokes and asking who had today in the office pool. At least she _ thinks _ it's a joke. 

"Can we go somewhere to talk?" Rey asks, finally voicing the question she'd cutoff before. 

"Yeah," Ben replies, just as Rose catches Rey's eyes and playfully mouths 'talk' while making exaggerated air quotes with her fingers. 

Rey just rolls her eyes at her friend and grabs Ben by the hand. "Come on."

She leads him to the corn maze and away from the gaze of their coworkers. It's not a very big maze, but she firmly intends to get lost. 


End file.
